The relationship between European powerhouses Italy and France continues to deteriorate after the Italian right-wing populist Interior Minister Mr Matteo Salvini criticized a video showing French police crossing the border into his country to drop off migrants.

As per European legislation, immigrants from Africa are supposed to be processed for asylum in the first country where they apply before being able to move on. Although most of them arrive in Italy, the majority is keen to moving into France, the UK or Germany and thus small groups frequently cross the alpine border between Italy and France, where controls are very infrequent.

However, seeing that France now even used their police vehicles to transport migrants back into Italy has infuriated Mr Salvini, the de-factor leader of Italy, who’s been at loggerheads with French President Macron over the handling of Europe’s immigration problem.

Just yesterday, he stated: "The French interior minister accuses me of 'systematic refusal to every type of opening'. Are these the lessons from Macron and his friends who 'unload' migrants in Italian forests at night? No thanks.”

"Italy is no longer fearful, resigned to being the refugee camp of Europe and to taking orders from Brussels and Berlin.”

It comes after a weekend threat to send police patrols to the border between Italy and France and block any official French vehicle from entering.

Responding to the threat from Mr Salvini, the French prefect of the administrative department Hautes-Alpes said that the return of the individuals was part of "normal procedures" that had been agreed by French and Italian police in the past, and that the procedure was also backed by European law.